Scouting Profile: Jaylen Reed - SAF - Penn State
Sales Pitch: Experienced safety who is at his best attacking downhill. Inconsistent processing and coverage skills makes him a project prospect.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Jaylen Reed is a former 4-star and three sport standout - football, track & field and basketball - from the state of Michigan. He was primarily a special teams player during his early years before becoming a starter in his Junior year. Reed started 29 consecutive games for Penn State in 2023 and 2024, receiving All-Big 10 honors in both seasons.
Reed is a long limbed DB, with plus burst and size for the position. He was an active communicator and leader on the back end for one of the best defenses in the country the past two years. Reed is at his best in coverage attacking downhill. He is quickly to close out of zone and disrupt the catch point. He displays excellent punch timing to separate the ball from target. He had his best year in terms of ball production in 2024 with 3 INT and 2 PBU. Reed’s best reps in coverage come as a deep safety in Cover-4 or Cover-6 looks which give him bumpers on his sides and allow him to work downhill. Penn State would also use him as a Robber to great success, where his ball skills and attacking nature would not be hampered by other responsibilities. Reed has the size and strength to step down in the box in the run game. He plays with proper leverage and takes good pursuit angles. He is particularly effective shooting the gap from deep or slot alignments to blow up perimeter runs and quick passes. Reed was also a fantastic situational pass rusher in 2024. His ability to time snap counts and attack with speed off the edge led to career highs in sacks and pressures as a blitzer.
Reed shows good first step burst, but overall is an average athlete. His long legged frame is stiff through the midsection and limits his change of direction skills. As a result he struggles as a man coverage defender when matched up with WRs, due to his lateral deficiencies. Reed is a good downhill coverage player, but struggles when his role expands. He displays poor processing skills and spatial awareness in zone coverage, often letting routes drift right through his zone. He will get tunnel vision on QBs and can be easily moved by their eyes. Reed has far too many coverage lapses as a deep zone defender. He will get overly focused on routes in front of him and not adjust to give help to his expectant teammates. Reed’s coverage lapse combined with below average range, stemming from his average play speed and stiffness out of his back pedal, indicates he cannot be trusted a lone post safety. Reed is well built for the position but doesn’t always maximize his frame. He is relatively timid coming up to fit the run and can get washed out of plays by bigger blockers. Reed’s lack of flexibility shows up most notably as a tackler. When faced with a ball carrier in space he ducks his head and bends at his waist. His poor technique means he is very rarely is able to adjust to quick changes of direction. For a player who projects best down around the line of scrimmage he will have clean up his open field tackling.
Reed projects best as a SS in a zone heavy scheme. His size and ball skills make him an intriguing box player with robber responsibilities. Right now Reed is too raw as a processor and coverage player to give him more than rotational and special teams reps. He projects as a Day-3 project with potential starter traits.